A fire sprinkler of the preferred embodiments includes a frame, a trigger, and a deflector. The frame defines a duct to exhaust the flow of a fire suppressing or extinguishing substance, and includes a fastener to fasten the frame to a supply line. The trigger blocks the flow of the fire suppressing or extinguishing substance through the duct during a first mode, and permits the flow of the fire suppressing or extinguishing substance during a second mode. The deflector redirects the flow of the fire suppressing or extinguishing substance into a coverage area. The deflector also at least partially shields the trigger from the dispersal of a fire suppressing or extinguishing substance from an adjacent fire sprinkler and prevents a failure of the trigger.
|
1. A fire sprinkler comprising:
a frame defining a duct adapted to exhaust the flow of a fire suppressing or extinguishing substance, and having a fastener adapted to fasten the frame to a supply line;
a trigger coupled to the frame and adapted to block the flow of the fire suppressing or extinguishing substance through the duct during a first mode and to permit the flow of the fire suppressing or extinguishing substance during a second mode; and
a deflector coupled to the frame and comprising:
a first pair of arcs extending in opposite directions from a central portion, the first pair of arcs curving toward the trigger; and
a second pair of arcs extending in opposite directions from the central portion, the second pair of arcs perpendicular to the first pair of arcs;
wherein the first and second pair of arcs cooperate to redirect the flow of the fire suppressing or extinguishing substance into an elliptical spray pattern that covers an elliptical coverage area having a length, a width, a first axis of symmetry extending along the length of the coverage area, and a second axis of symmetry extending along the width of the coverage area, wherein the width of the coverage area is substantially less than the length of the coverage area.
11. A fire sprinkler comprising:
a frame defining a duct adapted to exhaust the flow of a fire suppressing or extinguishing substance, and having a fastener adapted to fasten the frame to a supply line;
a trigger coupled to the frame and adapted to block the flow of the fire suppressing or extinguishing substance through the duct during a first mode and to permit the flow of the fire suppressing or extinguishing substance during a second mode; and
a deflector coupled to the frame and comprising:
a first pair of substantially symmetric, curved arcs extending in opposite directions from a central portion, the first pair of arcs curving toward the trigger, each arc of the first pair having a first curvature; and
a second pair of substantially symmetric, curved arcs extending in opposite directions from the central portion, the second pair of arcs perpendicular to the first pair of arcs across the central portion, the second pair of arcs extending away from the trigger, each arc of the second pair having a second curvature different from the first curvature;
wherein the first and second pair of arcs cooperate to redirect the flow of the fire suppressing or extinguishing substance into an elliptical spray pattern that covers an elliptical coverage area having a length, a width, a first axis of symmetry extending along the length of the coverage area, and a second axis of symmetry extending along the width of the coverage area, wherein the width of the coverage area is substantially less than the length of the coverage area.
5. The fire sprinkler of
6. The fire sprinkler of
7. The fire sprinkler of
8. The fire sprinkler of
9. The fire sprinkler of
10. The fire sprinkler of
|
This application is a continuation-in-part of international patent application number PCT/US2006/025278, filed on 27 Jun. 2006, and entitled “Fire Sprinkler”, which is incorporated in its entirety by this reference.
This application is related to international patent application number PCT/US2006/025111, filed on 27 Jun. 2006, and entitled “Fire Sprinkler System and Method of Installation”, which is incorporated in its entirety by this reference.
This invention relates generally to the fire suppression and extinguishment field, and more specifically to a new and improved fire sprinkler in the fire suppression and extinguishment field.
Fire sprinkler systems have been used in the United States to protect warehouses and factories for over one hundred years. In a fire sprinkler system, a fire sprinkler is positioned near the ceiling of a room where hot “ceiling jets” spread radially outward from a fire plume. When the temperature at an individual sprinkler reaches a pre-determined value, a thermally responsive element in the sprinkler activates and permits the flow of water as a water jet through a duct toward a deflector. The deflector redirects the water jet into thin streams or “ligaments” that break up into droplets due to surface tension. The water droplets serve three purposes: (1) delivering water to the burning material and reducing the combustion rate, (2) wetting the surrounding material and reducing the flame spread rate, and (3) cooling the surrounding air through evaporation and displacing air with inert water vapor.
When fire sprinklers are located close to each other, as shown in
The following description of the preferred embodiments of the invention is not intended to limit the invention to these preferred embodiments, but rather to enable any person skilled in the art of fire suppression and extinguishment to make and use this invention.
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
The trigger 14 of the preferred embodiments, which is connected to the frame 12, functions to block the flow of the fire suppressing or extinguishing substance through the duct 18 during a first mode, and to permit the flow of the fire suppressing or extinguishing substance during a second mode. The trigger 14 preferably includes a thermally responsive element 24 and a closure 26. During the first mode, the thermally responsive element 24 functions to restrain the closure 26, while the closure 26 functions to block the flow of the fire suppressing or extinguishing substance through the duct 18. During the second mode, the thermally responsive element 24 responds to the hot “ceiling jets” spreading radially outward from a fire plume and releases the closure 26, thereby permitting the flow of the fire suppressing or extinguishing substance. The thermally responsive element 24 is preferably a glass bulb, but may alternatively be a soldered link or any other suitable device or method. The trigger 14 may also include an o-ring, a Belleville spring, or any other suitable device between the thermally responsive element 24 and the frame 12. The trigger 14 may alternatively include any suitable method or device to block the flow of the fire suppressing or extinguishing substance through the duct 18 during a first mode, and to permit the flow of the fire suppressing or extinguishing substance during a second mode.
As shown in
When the fire sprinkler 10 is located close to an adjacent fire sprinkler 30 (as shown in
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
As a person skilled in the art of fire suppression and extinguishment will recognize from the previous detailed description and from the figures and claims, modifications and changes can be made to the preferred embodiments of the invention without departing from the scope of this invention defined in the following claims.
Patent | Priority | Assignee | Title |
10149992, | Mar 19 2014 | Firebird Sprinkler Company LLC | Multi-head array fire sprinkler system |
10493308, | Mar 19 2014 | Firebird Sprinkler Company LLC | Multi-head array fire sprinkler system with heat shields |
10940350, | Mar 19 2014 | Firebird Sprinkler Company LLC | Multi-head array fire sprinkler system for storage applications |
11027160, | Mar 19 2014 | Firebird Sprinkler Company LLC | Fire sprinkler system |
11517777, | Jun 07 2019 | Victaulic Company | Fire protection system for sloped combustible concealed spaces having hips |
11872421, | Jun 07 2019 | Victaulic Company | Fire protection system for sloped combustible concealed spaces having hips |
11931751, | Jun 02 2015 | Tyco Fire Products LP | Upright fire protection sprinkler |
12076597, | Feb 14 2018 | Victaulic Company | Fire protection system for sloped combustible concealed spaces |
12157025, | Mar 19 2014 | Firebird Sprinkler Company LLC | Fire sprinkler with pre-deflector flow splitter |
9149818, | Sep 04 2014 | The Viking Corporation | Attic sprinkler |
9573007, | Mar 15 2013 | FLN FEUERLOSCHGERATE NEURUPPIN VERTRIEBS GMBH | Fire protection sprinkler |
9833649, | Mar 15 2013 | Tyco Fire Products LP; FLN FEUERLOSCHGERATE NEURUPPIN VERTRIEBS GMBH | Fire protection sprinkler |
9873007, | Nov 03 2014 | Fire extinguishing system |
Patent | Priority | Assignee | Title |
1667425, | |||
2025063, | |||
2046169, | |||
241000, | |||
269205, | |||
269226, | |||
2862565, | |||
344673, | |||
3924687, | |||
4585069, | Oct 18 1984 | Grinnell Corporation | Liquid discharge nozzle |
4834186, | Oct 19 1987 | BALLARD ENTERPRISES, INC ; SOLIDEX CORPORATION | Sprinkler head mounting system |
5579846, | Sep 30 1991 | TYCO INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT COMPANY, LLC | Extended coverage ceiling sprinklers and systems |
5584344, | Sep 30 1991 | TYCO INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT COMPANY, LLC | Extended coverage ceiling sprinklers and systems |
5609211, | Sep 30 1991 | Central Sprinkler Company | Extended coverage automatic ceiling sprinkler |
5628367, | Nov 08 1994 | The Viking Corporation | Temperature sensitive sprinkler head with improved spring |
5630551, | May 30 1995 | In-ground reciprocating sprinkler | |
5669449, | Feb 28 1995 | CENTRAL SPRINKLER COMPANY A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA | Directional sprinklers |
5687914, | Mar 05 1996 | The Reliable Automatic Sprinkler Co., Inc. | Sprinkler deflector |
5727737, | Aug 05 1996 | The Reliable Automatic Sprinkler Co., Inc. | Horizontal sidewall sprinkler |
5862994, | Jun 25 1996 | Grinnell LLC | Deflector for upright-type fire sprinklers |
5865256, | Sep 25 1996 | Grinnell LLC | Deflectors for pendent-type fire protection sprinklers |
6059044, | May 15 1998 | Tyco Fire Products LP | Fire protection sprinkler and deflector |
6374920, | Jun 15 2000 | The Reliable Automatic Sprinkler Co., Inc. | Vertical sidewall sprinkler arrangement |
6446732, | Oct 12 2000 | The Reliable Automatic Sprinkler Company, Inc. | VELO ECOH sprinkler arrangement |
6554077, | Apr 12 2001 | The Reliable Automatic Sprinkler Co., Inc. | Quick response adjustable automatic sprinkler arrangements |
6715561, | Jun 29 2001 | Viking Corporation | Vacuum dry sprinkler system containing a sprinkler head with expulsion assembly |
6868917, | Mar 07 1997 | CENTRAL SPRINKLER LLC | Low pressure, early suppression fast response sprinklers |
6889774, | Feb 27 2002 | The Reliable Automatic Sprinkler Co., Inc. | Fire protection sprinkler system for metal buildings |
6920937, | May 28 2002 | The Reliable Automatic Sprinkler Co., Inc. | Deck/hall extended coverage horizontal sprinkler arrangement |
6976543, | Nov 22 2000 | TYCO FIRE PRODUCTS L P | Low pressure, extended coverage, upright fire protection sprinkler |
726200, | |||
20020096580, | |||
20050045739, | |||
20060060361, | |||
20060070745, | |||
20070246231, |
Executed on | Assignor | Assignee | Conveyance | Frame | Reel | Doc |
Jul 06 2015 | PIGEON, JEFFREY J | Firebird Sprinkler Company, LLC | ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS | 036330 | /0990 |
Date | Maintenance Fee Events |
Dec 15 2016 | M2551: Payment of Maintenance Fee, 4th Yr, Small Entity. |
Jun 09 2021 | M2552: Payment of Maintenance Fee, 8th Yr, Small Entity. |
Date | Maintenance Schedule |
Dec 10 2016 | 4 years fee payment window open |
Jun 10 2017 | 6 months grace period start (w surcharge) |
Dec 10 2017 | patent expiry (for year 4) |
Dec 10 2019 | 2 years to revive unintentionally abandoned end. (for year 4) |
Dec 10 2020 | 8 years fee payment window open |
Jun 10 2021 | 6 months grace period start (w surcharge) |
Dec 10 2021 | patent expiry (for year 8) |
Dec 10 2023 | 2 years to revive unintentionally abandoned end. (for year 8) |
Dec 10 2024 | 12 years fee payment window open |
Jun 10 2025 | 6 months grace period start (w surcharge) |
Dec 10 2025 | patent expiry (for year 12) |
Dec 10 2027 | 2 years to revive unintentionally abandoned end. (for year 12) |